The Legendary History of Afghanistan and its Sovereignty

From day one, the soil of Afghanistan has remained red due to large-scale killings and different empires ruling the land. No doubt, Afghanistan is considered the “Graveyard of Empires,” but it doesn’t mean that it has remained a sovereign entity. As of 2025, Mulla Ameer Muttaqi recently visited India, where, in a press conference, he boldly stated, “Afghanistan has never been occupied, and no one has ruled it.” However, the historical facts demonstrate the opposite. Afghan independence had always been questioned by constant intrusions of neighbors and superpowers. This statement further exacerbated the already crippled Pak-Afghan relations. However, the Indian media did not object to this claim, despite knowing the history of Afghanistan. Let’s briefly look into the historical evidence denying the claim of the Afghan foreign minister.

Achaemenid Empire: Darius I and His Successors 

In 1516 CE, the emperor of emperors, Darius I, conquered Afghanistan, divided it into small provinces, and appointed Persian governors there. Throughout the 16th century, various Persian emperors inflicted mass executions from Bactria to Gandhara to suppress the local rebellions. Locals, including children, were forced to do labor for the site construction. Impalement was used as a punishment against rebels. A sharp object, typically of metal, was forcefully penetrated into the human body, especially from the mouth, bypassing the body and coming out from the other side. This is how the Persians dealt with the Afghan people, and so, the Persian DNA was injected into Afghanistan, which persists till today.

Macedonian Conquest: Alexander the Great 

Alexander the Great seized numerous parts of Afghanistan from the Persian Empire in 330 CE and renamed different parts of Afghanistan. Alexander obliterated whole cities and killed thousands of Afghans in Herat and Balkh. Women and children of Afghanistan were sold to the Greek slave markets. The heads of rebels and their chiefs were put on display in the streets and on the gates of a city. Alexander infused the Greek DNA by trampling down the local traditions and customs. The locals were Hellenized, embracing Greek culture, religion, language, and ideology. 

Mauryan Empire: Indians Ruling Afghanistan 

Chandragupta Maurya and his heirs ruled over Afghanistan for nearly one hundred and fifty years. They established a centralized form of governance, which was bureaucratic. Chandragupta Maurya brought down punches on the Greek empire and invaded Afghanistan, and hence, it culminated in the Great Ashoka Empire. Buddhism was spread by the missionaries of Ashoka. Buddhist shrines and inscriptions were built, which is an indication of religious colonization. Native art and scripts were substituted by Buddhist and Indian cultural signs.

Islamization of Afghanistan 

Arabs finally conquered Afghanistan under Caliph Umar bin Khattab after Ashoka. Consequently, Muslim flourishing ensued. The first interaction between Arabs and Afghans was rough and forceful. The defiant cities like Zaranj and Herat were besieged, conquered, and stripped of their humanity by enslaved leaders. Non-Muslims had to pay Jizya, and Muslim settlers and soldiers were allocated land. There was heavy taxation, which was strictly imposed. Unless they were able to pay, local lands were confiscated, and they were forced into labor or imprisoned. Caliph Umar did not permit forcible conversions, but in practice, local commanders did not respect an order issued by Caliph Umar.

Mongol Invasion 

Then, in 1219 CE, Genghis Khan attacked Afghanistan, and it became part of the Tatar Empire. Genghis Khan’s forces annihilated entire cities. More than one million people were reportedly killed in Herat. In Bamiyan, all inhabitants, including women and children, were slaughtered in revenge for the death of Genghis’s grandson. Locals were enslaved or executed. The Mongols had given vicious punishments. Afghan rebels were either boiled or mutilated, or their skins were stripped off alive. Fields burned, irrigation systems destroyed, leading to famine and disease. Mongols destroyed the entire culture of Afghanistan. Libraries, mosques, and Buddhist relics were destroyed.

Mughal and Durrani Empires 

The Mughals gave a significant blow to independent Afghan tribes from the days of Babur till the times of Aurangzeb. In 1504, Babur conquered Kabul. His troops murdered thousands of Afghans, seized the locals as slaves, and burned down whole villages. His successor, Akbar, did genocides against the Afridi and Yusufzai tribes. The prisoners were executed by cutting off their heads. They were hanged on the streets with their bodies and heads. Women and children were put under slavery and frequently deported to India. The Durranis later won Afghanistan in the 18th century. The locals and rebels were treated viciously by them. The most severe punishments will involve amputation, whereby any body part is removed. Likewise, even the eyes of the prisoners were also cut off permanently. Rebellion areas were meted out collective punishment, where whole cities or villages were burned and executed with the locals.

British Colonialism 

Between 1828 and 1919, the British Empire attacked Afghanistan on several occasions simply because Afghanistan was supplying spies to the Russian Empire against Great Britain. In this way, the British occupied Afghanistan until Kabul and Kandahar in the year 1838. In 1842, however, the Afghan leader Akbar Khan had to provide guarantees to the British to withdraw the troops from Afghanistan. But Akbar Khan cheated the British and killed hundreds of British troops. Resultantly, the British attacked Afghanistan in retaliation, which compelled Akbar Khan to flee and take hostages in the mountains. 

During the period between 1839 and 1919, three wars were fought by Britain with Afghanistan on the push of the border to deter the Russian influence. It was in the course of the Second Anglo-Afghan War, in 1879, that the British forced the Khyber Pass and other strategic points on the foreign policy under the Treaty of Gandamak, and gave up London’s control over foreign policy. Such a setup put Afghanistan in the position of a buffer state between British India and Tsarist Russia. The Durand Line was drawn in 1893 and divided the land of the Pashtun, leading to the conflicts that resonate today. Britain pulled the trade and troop strings well, leaving Afghanistan half-liberated at best.

Soviet Invasion 

In December 1979, Soviet tanks were mobilized to support a weak communist government against the rebels of the mujahideen. More than 100,000 soldiers remained for a decade, making all the decisions, including battles and bread lines. The secret police, KHAD, which was backed by the Soviets, took part in rampant torture that included beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and sexual violence. The Soviets planted more than 10 million landmines in the form of pens or watches to mutilate children. The mines were placed intentionally in the farming land and roads as a way of punishing peasants who helped in the resistance.

American Intervention 

After 9/11, American forces invaded the Afghan territory and remained there for a long period of 21 years. During the U.S.-led occupation, Afghans suffered from a new form of modern warfare punishment, characterized by drone strikes, night raids, and systemic abuse by allied forces. Special operations and drone attacks killed civilians at weddings, funerals, and family gatherings. Thousands were detained in Bagram and CIA black sites. They were subjected to torture, including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, mock executions, and prolonged imprisonment without charge.

Conclusion 

The underscored historical facts are clear proof that Afghanistan has never remained sovereign. Different dynasties and empires have ruled the territory. The historical legacy and practices persist in today’s Afghanistan. The vicious and inhuman treatment of captured Pakistani soldiers by the Afghan Taliban and TTP terrorists is its best manifestation. These terrorist factions, after killing Pakistani soldiers, apply different punishments to the martyred bodies, including amputation, flaying, beheading, etc. Thus, the claim that no one has ever ruled or will rule Afghanistan is just a bogus assertion that the current Taliban rulers are propagating to brainwash their people and use them as tools of terrorism.

---

If you want to submit your articles and/or research papers, please visit the Submissions page.

To stay updated with the latest jobs, CSS news, internships, scholarships, and current affairs articles, join our Community Forum!

The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.